The Believer, Sin, Satan, Demons, and the Mind

“There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils. One is to disbelieve their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel an unhealthy interest in them. They themselves are equally pleased by both errors and hail a materialist and magician with the same delight.” [C. S. […]

The Son of Man’s Validation

The Son of Man’s ValidationLuke 4:1-13November 10, 2024 In Jesus’ ministry, several times people questioned Jesus’ ability to speak or act — even questioning His nature and character: When he healed and forgave the lame man who was let through the roof, the Pharisees asked, “Who is this man who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive […]

Jesus is the answer

In Colossians 2:8 Paul warns about the dangers of the base and elementary philosophy of the world. What are those principles? He is non-specific, but the most basic philosophy of the world is this — anything must be made supreme so that God and Christ will be minimized. The base philosophy of the world it […]

God’s provision for sexual temptation

It is no revelation to say that we live in a sexually-provocative culture. The clothing and entertainment industries are highly sexualized, romance novels with sensational covers abound, advertisers use sex to sell virtually every category of product, news programs are filled with sexual content that would have been considered inappropriate for airing a generation ago, […]

Prayer and temptation

I’ve been to the Grand Canyon once. I was in my early 20s and was just there for one afternoon while on a cross-country trip. Because I wasn’t sure when or if I would ever return, I took many pictures. But I wanted only the pure beauty of the canyon; I didn’t want man-made objects […]

How Christ resisted temptation

The New Testament is clear that our Savior did not sin (cf. Mt. 5:17-18; Heb. 4:15; 7:26; 2 Cor. 5:21). However, the question is how did He not sin? Did He rely on His deity and use His divine power to keep from sinning? If so, it is hard to conceive that such obedience can […]

The sense of sin works for good in the godly

Wednesdays with Watson is a weekly reading taken from my favorite Puritan writer, Thomas Watson. This week’s selection is taken from All Things for Good. [The] sense of sin works for good, as it is an occasion of putting the soul upon six especial duties: (1) It puts the soul upon self-searching. A child of […]

The evil of temptation is overruled for good to the godly (part 2)

Wednesdays with Watson is a weekly reading taken from my favorite Puritan writer, Thomas Watson. This week’s selection is taken from All Things for Good, and continued from last week. (3) These temptations are overruled for good to the children of God. A tree that is shaken by the wind is more settled and rooted; […]

The evil of temptation is overruled for good to the godly

Wednesdays with Watson is a weekly reading taken from my favorite Puritan writer, Thomas Watson. This week’s selection is taken from All Things for Good. The evil of temptation is overruled for good to the godly. The evil of temptation works for good Satan is called the tempter (Mark 4.15). He is ever lying in […]

Who made David do what he did?

Late in David’s life, he make a foolish and sinful decision. You would expect a man to mature with age and his decision-making to become more God-honoring the older he gets, and in some regards, that was the way David lived. But not on this day. As David prepared to transition the kingdom of Israel […]

How to Overcome Temptation

From Desiring God: Meet Ben Stuart. He leads Breakaway, a campus ministry at Texas A&M University. Over the past decade, Ben has taught the Bible every week to thousands of students in the throes of college life, often speaking practically into their sins and struggles. In this short video, building off the Book of James, […]

Grab bag

“When Your World Caves In” (Paul Levy) — a sober reminder of the cost of sin in general and the cost (and protection against) sexual sin in particular: “Recently I’ve spent some time with two friends who were in ministry but have fallen morally and so now find themselves out of a job that they loved, […]

Standing against temptation

A father and son were on an errand to the grocery store for a loaf of bread. Of course the bread aisle was in close proximity to the donut case and very quickly the inevitable request was voiced. And that dad, being a “dad,” allowed him to get one. While they were getting into the […]

Sunday Leftovers — He knows our troubles

We know that Jesus did not sin. But we can wrongly infer from that truth that life was easy for Him. It wasn’t. He felt the troubles of life as no other man has ever felt them. And that means that not only has He experienced the trials of life Himself, but that He really […]

Protect yourself

To protect itself from aggressors, the Texas horned lizard (more commonly known as the horny toad) uses some unique defense mechanisms, as the Smithsonian reported a few years ago: When the creature is threatened by a large predator, it runs through an elaborate behavioral repertoire. First, the lizard will hiss and swell its body with […]